Grape Recipes

Grape Basics

Grapes are the perfect snack, but they can be so much more! Unlock their potential to jazz up appetizers, salads, main dishes, and desserts, too.

In Season: Most supermarkets carry them year-round, but peak growing season in North America is July to December.

What to Look For: Grapes should be plump, with smooth unbroken skins, and be firmly attached to the stems. The green ones are at their sweetest when they have a pale-yellow hue. Often, grapes are covered with a whitish "bloom," which is a natural protection against loss of moisture and spoilage.

How to Store: Discard damaged grapes, place bunch in a plastic bag, and refrigerate up to three days. To avoid destroying the bloom, rinse just before using.

This quick recipe is ideal for a solo dinner at home. Thinly sliced pork tenderloin cooks up in just minutes. The side dish is prepared in the same pan. If you're cooking for two, just double the recipe.

Grapes and deeply fragrant elderflower mingle in a vibrant drink worthy of celebration. Musky-sweet fresh Concord grapes are available only in September and October, which makes them perfect for a fall celebration.

Chewy farro -- an Italian whole grain -- is tossed with mixed greens in this colorful salad. It's flavored by two kinds of grapes that have been baked in a low oven to concentrate their sweetness and release their juices.

Fresh blueberries and red grapes are seasoned with ginger, rosemary, and red-wine vinegar. Spread this relish on toasts topped with goat cheese or chicken, stir into yogurt or cottage cheese, spoon over roast chicken or pork, or layer on turkey sandwiches.

A hearty, lightly sweetened oat crust supports rich vanilla pastry cream and fresh red and green grapes in this unique fall dessert. Create a pattern on top of the tart with the different colors of grapes.

Cornish game hens roasted with red and green grapes, shallots, and thyme make an easy, impressive main course. If you like, you can easily substitute four bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (ten to twelve ounces each) for the Cornish hens in this recipe.